Thomas County cat. [volume] (Colby, Kan.) 1885-1891, 1887-12-08

SQUADS OF horsemen bearing down on
the stage from opposite directions.
T. ..There are six of them" he said.
and we are nine men, with only one
woman. Are we to fight. gentlemen,
| or shall we surrender?
"Mexicans never surrender" cried
one of them. 1--WE will fight to the
last drop of blood
"Yes, always" answered the other
eight
II shall be killed; oh. I shall be
killed! ~ shrieked the frightened
| woman.
I'VE shall defend you, senora," they
declared. The horscmen drew near.
all were masked and armed. One
party passed the coach. wheeled. and
instantly returned. Meanwhile Yorke
sprang from the stage. which had
stopped, and, calling to his fellow-pas-
sengers to join him. fired his rifle at
the nearest of the gang and killed him.
He then began discharging his re-
volver, as they closed in on him, and
looking about for his companions, dis
covered them all in their seats, pallid
spectators of his recklessness. In an
other instant a pistol-ball struck him
down.
Evidently the ladrones had only con-
tempt for the Mexican passengers, for
they rode directly forward to the fallen
American, whose body they mercilessly
hacked in pieces with their sabers, for
Il warning to all who resisted their
rCbberies.
The entire treasure of Wood & Co.
was taken from the person of Yorke
and his valise; and the passengers, the
lady not excepted, We're robbed of
every article they possessed, even to
their out3 clothing. When the ladrones
left. their captain opened an en-
broidered jacket, revealing the form
of woman. and cried. with sneer:
You are men. AdiOs"
When the stage. returning. entered
the patio of the Hotel Inturbide, with
the body of Mr.. Yorke. it was met by
Wood, to whom the lady-passenger de-
clared that his partner had been killed
by an Englishman of the band, whose
lower face was ruddy, narrow and
thin. ending in little shadowy beard;
that he had reached into the coach,
and shot Yorke in the back, through
the open doorway OF the opposite side,
as he was firing rapidly at the gang.
and that, as he withdrew his head, his
beard dropped from his chin, and she
had secured it.
At ten o'clock. that morning, he
went to the English Bank with the
woman, and presented a check for
payment. AS the teller laid down the
money he saw the little wad of beard
on the counter, picked it up. and,
looking at it curiously, said: what
is this:9" At the same moment, Mr..
Wood discovered that his companion
trembled violently and was becoming
alarmingly pale, and lost no time in
leaving the bank.
The woman was sure of the identity
of the man. and would listen to no pos
Sibility of her mistake. As for Mr..
Edgar Wood, he was COMPOUNDED, but
he did the customary thing. and set an
English detective on the track of Mr..
Carlos Wattils, the teller of the En-
glish Bank of Mexico.
The next payment went to the line
in charge of paymaster and mount
ed guard, of whom the chief was one
of the most successful ladrOnes of Mex
leo; he gave safe conduct to the treas
ure. for which he was well paid.
Two months passed. No outward
sign indicated any depravity on the
part of Mr.. Watfils. He lived modest
ly. and seemed retiring, rather studi-
Gus man. His sole dissipation was his
horseback-ride each morning and
night.
The time had come for another pay
ment to the men of the contractor, and
again Wood determined to go in per-
son with the money. and by stage.
This time, he selected day when a
fair complement Of Mexican men, hav-
ing commercial relations with Vera
Cruz. would travel. and went accom-
panied also by two Americans, armed
with rifles and revol-ers.
The English detective. with a COM
panion, both well-armed. rode out in
the same direction a half-hour after
the seage left. The road had not been
SD infested of late, but the Americans
understood the danger to which they
were exposed in the transportation of
treasure, and made their disposition |
accordingly. Mr.. Wood and one COM
panion occupied the front seat Of the
coach. looking to the rear; the third |
man of the party sat with the driver,
being a crack shot with Winchester !
rifle.
When they stopped for coffee, at
eight o clock. no one had appeared to |
modest the stage, or create suspicion.
As they left the little inn the detective |
appeared in sight, but the stage made |
no delay. and the party were again on |
their way.